Callie Enander is the 2019 Miss Rodeo NDWS queen and has also captured the title of 2020 Miss Rodeo North Dakota. She has attended North Dakota State University for the past two years. Photo courtesy Phyne Photography
By Ruth Nicolaus
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – They’re a lot more than rhinestones and hairspray.
The rodeo queens, junior queens and princesses who hold the titles of Miss Rodeo North Dakota Winter Show Queen, Junior Queen and Princess have beautiful faces and smiles and wear boots and jeans and sparkles on their shirts, but being a rodeo queen, junior and princess is so much more.
The girls and young women who compete at the pageant, which will be held Friday, March 6, must be well-versed in several areas.
They are judged on horsemanship, personality and appearance, giving speeches, and knowing a little bit about everything: from current events to rodeo knowledge and hippology.
Winners of the 2019 titles are Miss Rodeo NDWS Callie Enander, Fargo; Miss Junior Rodeo NDWS Grace Stanke, West Fargo, and Miss Rodeo Princess NDWS Megan Hertz, Wing.
One of the ways that broaden a candidate’s education as they compete in pageants is through public speaking. During pageants, candidates give speeches and answer impromptu questions.
No matter what career or job you have, there will be times a person has to speak in public, said Sam Bishop, organizer for the Miss Rodeo NDWS pageant and the 2009-2010 Miss Rodeo NDWS. “Throughout the course of your life, in or out of agriculture and rodeo, you’ll always have a job interview,” Bishop said. “It doesn’t matter where you go, you’ll use those skills.”
The pageant consists of a horsemanship contest, to be held at 8 am on March 6 and a fashion show also on March 6 from 2-4 pm. During the fashion show, candidates will do their public speaking and modeling. Visiting rodeo queens from the state and beyond will also model during the fashion show. Both events are free and open to the public.
One part of rodeo royalty that Bishop, who lives in Nome, enjoys, is the fashion, and she knows how to do it on a limited budget. When she ran for Miss Rodeo NDWS, money wasn’t plentiful in her family. “It can be expensive when it comes to running for titles,” she said. “I didn’t grow up in a family that could drop thousands of dollars for attire, but I had a desire for expensive clothing.” She and her mother collaborated to find fashions that were trendy but not pricey. “My mom taught me to go to thrift stores, bring things home, and decorate them.” She taught herself to sew and likes to accessorize clothes with leather, fringe, studs, crystals, yokes, embroidery, appliques, whatever they need. “I’m an edgy dresser and I like the edgy styles. I don’t want the cookie cutter look.”
Being Miss Rodeo NDWS opens more doors, Bishop said. A requirement of the title is that they must run for Miss Rodeo North Dakota, the highest title in the state. And winning the Miss Rodeo N.D. title broadens their horizons, as they travel around the state and the country and run for Miss Rodeo America the following year. Those women “may have a major in mind for college but job and career opportunities really open up,” Bishop said. “It helps you figure out exactly what you want to do. There are potential job offers and it’s the beginning of your professional career life.” The 2019 Miss Rodeo NDWS, Callie Enander, won the title of 2020 Miss Rodeo North Dakota.
Bishop served as Miss Rodeo North Dakota in 2011. This is the third year she has been director of the Miss Rodeo NDWS pageant.
Don and Jannene Janssen have sponsored the buckle for the Miss Rodeo NDWS title for more than a dozen years; Jannene has supported and been involved with the pageant for over thirty years.
Queen candidates must be 17 years of age by January 1 and not be more than 26 years old. Junior candidates must be between the ages of 12 and 16, and princesses must be between the ages of 7 and 11 years old.
The queen, junior and princess pageants are held in conjunction with the 83rd annual North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City, which began Feb. 29 and runs through March 7. This year’s queen, junior and little miss will be crowned during the PRCA rodeo performance at 2 pm on March 7.
For more information, visit the website at NorthDakotaWinterShow.com or call 701.845.1401.